We’re excited to share some big news: The Three Villages is now on Instagram!

That’s right – your FREE local community magazine for Great Amwell, St Margarets and Stanstead Abbotts is taking the next step in connecting our wonderful villages by joining the world of Instagram. Whether you’re a long-time resident or new to the area, our Instagram page is designed to bring us all a little closer.

Why follow us?
Our new Instagram page is more than just pretty pictures (although there will be plenty of those!). Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Local stories – Quick snapshots of village life, community updates and feel-good stories you love from the magazine.
• What’s on – Get reminders for local events, markets, talks and activities happening in our villages.
• Spotlight on locals – Discover hidden gems and meet local makers, businesses and inspiring people who make our community so special.
• Photos old & new – Nostalgic throwbacks and new photos celebrating the beauty and charm of our area.

Help us grow
We’re on a mission to reach more residents and local businesses, and your support makes all the difference. More followers help us share community news more widely and support local causes and businesses.

Follow us today!
You can find us at @thethreevillages

Please give us a follow, like a post or two and share our page with your friends, family and neighbours. It’s a small action that makes a big difference to our growing community.

Thank you for being part of The Three Villages. We’re excited to share even more with you – one post at a time!

The Three Villages Team

The June Issue of The Three Villages Magazine has published and is now available to pick up FOR FREE across the villages.

In this issue, we have a Charity Focus on Coffee and Coping, an incredible local charity; another look inside the workings at The Maltings, including a business spotlight on Kokebi Coffee; updates from our Parish Councils, local schools and community groups; and the latest in the highly popular Local Historic Faces & Places series.

You can get The Three Villages Magazine from, but not limited to, the following locations:
The Village Pharmacy
St John the Baptist Church
St Mary’s Church
St Andrew’s Church
The Bridge Shop
The Maltings Café
St Margarets Train Station

Also, if you can’t get out to get a copy, you can text (07488 914972) or call us (01920 870115) and we will get one to you.

Don’t forget…
We would love to hear from you if you have an interesting story or an upcoming event to promote. The approximate deadlines for submissions are: 3rd July (September Issue) and 3rd October (December Issue). Alternatively, we can also promote your upcoming event/share your news on our News & Events blog. Please do get in touch!

Thank you for your continued support,
The Three Villages Team

The June 2025 Issue of The Three Villages Magazine’s cover will feature the work Richard Samways.

Richard Samways is a lifelong, passionate birds and wildlife follower. He has followed our local swan family at Amwell Pool for six years. He drives from Hatfield on average of once a week, all year round, to see how they are and enjoy a long walk down the New River. Richard feels the swans always recognise him, that they share a kind of loyal friendship and that they certainly look forward to his floating nutritious pellets (an additional supplement they gobble up fast and enjoy).

Very sadly, at the start of May, Richard found the nest empty with no sign of the swans. Richard was not the only person to be affected by this loss. There has been a lot of speculation as to what might have happened, but Richard feels it was most likely a result of corvids, foxes or squirrels, rather than humans.

Richard has kindly written us an article within the June issue about the swans and his memories of last year’s cygnets, accompanied by some really lovely photographs.

You will be able to pick up your copy of The Three Villages Magazine: Issue 14 at the start of June across the three villages. Our magazine is now FREE!

If you can’t get out to get a copy, please text (07488 914972) or call us (01920 870115) and we will get one to you.

Thank you for your continued support,

The Three Villages Team

The March 2025 issue is here!

The first issue of 2025, but also the first FREE issue.

Hopefully you will have seen the news that as part of our plans for 2025, our print magazine is now FREE. We have made this decision in order to help facilitate the magazine reaching more of our residents in the three villages.

Not everyone carries cash these days, so now you can just grab a copy when you see one. We have also increased our print run by 100% and you will be able to find the magazine across more locations in the villages.

You can get The Three Villages Magazine from, but not limited to, the following locations:
The Village Pharmacy
St John the Baptist Church
St Mary’s Church
St Andrew’s Church
The Bridge Shop
The Red Lion
George IV
The Jolly Fisherman
The Oak
The Maltings Café
St Margarets Train Station

Furthermore, if you can’t get out to get a copy, you can text (07488 914972) or call us (01920 870115) and we will get one to you.

Thank you for your continued support,
The Three Villages Team

Launched at the end of 2021, with the first print issue publishing in March 2022, 2025 marks the fourth year The Three Villages has been active!

So, what have we achieved?

In the last three years, we have published 12 issues (with Issue 13, March 2025 on its way very shortly!) filled with content focused on our three villages. We have had interviews with locals; featured local businesses in our Business Spotlights; focused on the vital work of local charities; heard some inspiring stories and updates from our parish councils, schools and community groups; discovered some fascinating local history; held writing and art competitions to engage with our resident creatives, especially within our schools; and our covers have showcased some stunning images from local photographers and artist of all ages/walks of life. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Our Facebook page, website and News & Events Blog have gone from strength-to-strength as our reach continues to increase every month. Our highest number of views in a month was 2818 (November 2023). We see people following our page from other parts of the world as they want to stay connected to home. Our average month sees 650 people checking out our website to see what we have going on in the three villages. It’s the place to go for all the latest news and up-to-date information, so if you haven’t done so already do check out our website, follow/like our Facebook page and subscribe to our News & Events Blog (see below for details).

What do we have planned moving forward?

Many of you were kind enough to complete our recent Future Plans Survey. It gave us a really good idea of what people liked about our offering and areas that we need to improve. We got some brilliant comments too, so thank you to those that took the time to complete it. You can see a summary from our results here in the image below…

At the end of 2024, we sat down and made some exciting plans for 2025. So what are they?

• From March 2025 onwards our print magazine will be FREE!
• We are increasing our print run by 100% to increase our distribution
• We are finding more ways to reach out to those that might not be able to get out and collect a copy of the print magazine: you can now call/text for a copy
• We have welcomed two new members to our team, bringing fresh ideas and experience

Across our print and online formats, we have worked hard to build community as we share local news and information, showcase local talent and support local businesses. We hope that you have enjoyed the journey as much as we have! Thank you for your continued support.

The Three Villages Team
Building Community in Print and Online
Share • Showcase • Support

Check out our WEBSITE: http://www.thethreevillages.com
Sign up to our NEWS & EVENTS BLOG: www. thethreevillages.com/news-events/
And follow/like our FACEBOOK PAGE: search @TheThreeVillagesMagazine

Once again we are looking for our next cover image for Issue 13 (March 2025) of The Three Villages Magazine.

Are you a local photographer, amateur or professional? Would you like your work to appear on the cover of our local magazine?

We are looking for a seasonal photograph that showcases our beautiful local landmarks within the three villages.

If you would like to enter and showcase your work, please email
threevillagesmagazine@gmail.com

The deadline for entries is 10th January!